[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 13142-13143]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BRIAN MURPHY

 Ms. AYOTTE. Mr. President, I congratulate Brian Murphy of 
Dover, NH. On May 29, 2015, Brian reached an important career milestone 
by working his 250th National Hockey League playoff game as a linesman.
  Born on December 13, 1964, Brian has been a lifelong resident of 
Dover. He graduated from Dover High School in 1982 and continued his 
education by attending the University of New Hampshire, where he earned 
a degree in business administration in 1986. Brian was

[[Page 13143]]

then hired by the NHL in September 1988. His first game was on October 
7, 1988 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.
  Linesmen have a difficult and often thankless job. While referees 
officiate the game and call penalties, linesmen break up fights between 
players, drop the puck for face-offs and have to keep up with the pace 
of the game to make offside calls--all while avoiding interference. 
Brian has excelled in every aspect of his career and is one of only 13 
U.S. born NHL officials. Most officials who work for the NHL are 
Canadian nationals who have relocated.
  During Brian's 27 years as an on-ice official, he has worked 1713 
regular season NHL games and the men's hockey games at the 2010 
Vancouver Winter Olympics. More recently, Brian was selected for the 
7th Stanley Cup Finals between the victorious Chicago Blackhawks and 
the Tampa Bay Lightning in June of this year.
  As the former president of the National Hockey League Officials 
Association, Brian understands the sacrifices and hard work that are 
necessary to perform his job. I ask my colleagues to join me today in 
celebrating Brian's career as a linesman. I am delighted to 
congratulate him on reaching this important career milestone and I wish 
him many more years of success.

                          ____________________